McLaren P1 Takes On Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari in Hypercar Drag Racing Showdown

For those wondering how a McLaren P1 stacks up against a Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari in a hypercar drag racing showdown, Mat Watson of CarWow has just the video for you. Can’t afford any of these vehicles? There’s the Pure x McLaren electric scooter for a fraction of the price.

First, the lineup: the McLaren P1 packs a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 paired with an electric motor, pumping out 916 horsepower to the rear wheels—twitchy and raw, a real handful off the line. The Porsche 918 Spyder, with its 4.6-liter naturally aspirated V8 and dual electric motors, dishes out 887 horsepower but sends it through all four wheels, giving it a traction edge. Then there’s the Ferrari LaFerrari (an Aperta in this case), flexing a monstrous 963 horsepower from its 6.3-liter V12 and electric assist—rear-wheel drive only, and all about that screaming naturally aspirated glory. These specs alone set the stage for a brawl where power, grip, and launch control are everything.

The main event? A standing quarter-mile drag. The 918 Spyder steals the show here, blasting off with its all-wheel-drive grip and crossing the line first. The P1 puts up a solid fight, its turbocharged grunt keeping it close, but it can’t match the Porsche’s launch. The LaFerrari Aperta, despite its power crown, struggles with traction—those rear wheels spin like they’re auditioning for a drift video, leaving it dead last. It’s a brutal reminder that raw horsepower doesn’t always win when you can’t hook up.